


Signal Lost

by Yhannen Greystone (vanijane)



Category: Gundam SEED
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Phase 50
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 12:21:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2269494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanijane/pseuds/Yhannen%20Greystone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The DUEL's signal is lost and Shiho screams as she can't find her Commander anywhere.</p><p>“You idiot! Do you know how easy it is to press a damn button to inform your team you didn’t die?! You just press it, Commander, and go, hey, I’m alive!”</p><p>
  <i>Set during Phase 50 of Gundam SEED after Yzak saves Dearka from getting killed.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Signal Lost

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't read any of the Astray manga or any of the games which featured Shiho in them, so I've no canon reference for "my" Shiho and took my liberties in writing her.
> 
> However, I did follow that she pilots a CGUE DEEP Arms during this time period.

_“We lost the Commander’s signal!”_

Shiho froze as soon the broadcasted message was repeated over their private channel followed by the startled reactions from the soldiers under Commander Joule’s team. Ignoring them, she tried to swallow the lump on her throat but couldn’t, it had gone too dry in a matter of seconds.

She inhaled deeply, refusing to break as one hand clutched tightly at the controls of her mobile suit while the other went to push the communication link to the ship and a small window appeared on her monitor showing the ship’s CIC.

“CIC, give me the latest known coordinates of the Commander!” The normally calm teen demanded which surprised the younger soldier on the monitor and had him tapping on his keyboard quickly to send Shiho the coordinates.

“We lost Commander Joule’s signal right after the big explosion,” the soldier informed as he received the confirmation of Shiho receiving the coordinates, “however, we also lost the enemy’s signal in the process.”

“Shut up!”

Shiho turned off all channels and had her CGUE speed towards where Yzak was last recorded. Her hands were numb from the grip she had on the controls and as she got closer to the area, her chest tightened and the thudding of heart was deafening on her ears.

Unable to breathe, she scanned the area full of debris and remnants of what looked to be the Earth Forces’ new mobile suits. She inhaled sharply as she started to panic, there was nothing, nothing—she stopped breathing as she zoomed in on a familiar looking piece.

Her mouth fell open with a silent scream as she took her shaking hands from the controls and clutched them to her chest. Her body began to shake as the reality, the tragic reality, sunk in and she threw her head back, revealing the large droplets of tears floating in her helmet.

She thrashed, slamming her fists down on the panel and screamed.

Yzak was gone. He was dead. She failed him, she failed herself.

* * *

“Yzak,” the face of the Pink Princess appeared on the DUEL’s intercom as Yzak was setting up the installation of the spare part that was being attached to his mobile suit.

“L-Lacus?” Yzak stammered, surprised by the sudden call and from being disturbed from his programming.

“Thank you for the support,” the Eternal Captain smiled gently, one that was torn between relief and sadness.

“I-it was no problem,” the ZAFT soldier answered shyly, a twinge of red coating his cheeks from the attention. Then he caught himself, remembering quickly what he needed to say and stumbled over his words as he tried to get them out, “I—I’m sorry.”

At the confused look Lacus sent him, he felt even more embarrassed and was about to turn off the communication when she smiled knowingly and spoke gently, “there’s nothing for you to apologize about, Yzak. This conflict, this war we’re caught up in…we’re all fighting for what we believe is right, for peace.”

Yzak looked down as she uttered her words, remembering how only a few hours earlier he’d placed all his trust and confidence in his people, in his army and superiors then felt betrayed by the monstrosity that they’d unleashed to the world. It ate at him and suffocated him.

“Will you still fight?” Lacus asked quietly, pulling him out of his thoughts and when he looked up, he saw the teen’s face staring at him on the intercom and Dearka’s head poking in to check how he was going.

Looking at his best friend, at her and then ahead, “I will.”

“Then we will assist you to the best we can,” Lacus answered firmly before the intercom went blank.

“A piece of work, isn’t she?” Dearka commented lightly with a chuckle.

“Yeah, who’d thought, huh?” Yzak grunted and went back to his keyboard as he felt the heavy weight on his shoulders.

The next time he’d enter the battlefield in his DUEL, he’d be fighting for these people and their beliefs, too.

“Don’t die out there,” Dearka said as an order and warning before jumping off the DUEL to head back to his BUSTER.

Yzak grunted once again and closed his helmet before starting up his mobile suit, “I’m not weak.”

* * *

He was never too fond of Eileen Canaver but hearing her voice being broadcasted throughout the entire battlefield and perhaps even beyond was a blessing, a big relief and you could almost hear the collected sighs of relief as the fighting was finally over. However Yzak found himself returning to the Archangel instead of returning to ZAFT.

Taking off his helmet and letting the cockpit open, he inhaled the greasy air of the hangar and felt his tense muscles relax. _It’s over_. He hadn’t realized that the war had taken such a toll on him but he should’ve known it would, it wasn’t normal, it wasn’t supposed to be.

Opening his eyes, he remembered Dearka had been injured and got to his feet immediately. After quickly asking for the directions from one of the engineers, he made his way to the infirmary while telling them they could take back the parts he’d borrowed.

“Yzak?” Dearka gasped, eyes wide with shock and confusion as he saw his best friend enter the infirmary and immediately standing out with his bright red pilot suit and pale hair.

“What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you head back to your ship?”

Yzak clicked his tongue, he didn’t know why either but he’d wanted to make sure his best friend was out of this alive. But in true Yzak Joule fashion, he wouldn’t admit it and instead changed the topic.

“Man, you do some pretty crazy assed things.”

Dearka grinned despite his wounds, “what can I say?”

There was a comfortable silence between them, a reassuring one until Dearka’s grin widened and he gestured to the woman who arrived with more bandages.

“By the way, Yzak! This is Miriallia,” both Yzak and the woman gave Dearka a brief look of annoyance before turning to look at each other with schooled expressions as the injured ZAFT soldier continued, “Miriallia, this is Yzak, the guy I’ve been telling you about.”

“Ah,” Yzak nodded curtly as he regarded her, “so you’re the reason Dearka stayed here.”

The Archangel’s CIC officer cocked a brow at the tone the ZAFT Commander used and immediately decided that she wanted to kick him.

“It’s not what it sounds like,” Dearka quickly assured her, knowing very well what she felt going by the suddenly scowl that appeared on her face. The blonde then pointed at his friend, “he always talks like that! You can even ask Athrun and Lacus—he really talks like he’s pissed at the world!”

“Right,” she rolled her eyes at him, disbelieving.

“Shut up, Dearka!” Yzak snapped at the blonde then turned to Miriallia. He didn’t like Naturals, though he supposed he had to change his views now, but not even she deserved to be subjected to his friend’s hopelessness.

“Fair warning, woman: Dearka can’t keep his hands to himself.”

“Hey!”

Miriallia did a double back as she easily ignored Dearka. She was starting to like Yzak and gave him a small smile as she offered her hand to him for a shake, “nice to meet you, Yzak. You can start by telling me more.”

Yzak broke to a rare grin and shook hands with the Natural, “you know, I’m starting to like your attitude.”

“You’re not serious are you?” Dearka groaned before glaring at the doctor who was laughing at them.

* * *

Wanting to send Yzak off for the information he’d provided, Miriallia insisted both she and Dearka accompany him back to the hangar. As they arrived, the STRIKE ROUGE had just landed and they watched as Athrun came out from the cockpit.

“Yzak?” Athrun gasped the moment he saw his rival, “what’re you doing here?”

“I was returning the parts I borrowed, I’m just about to head out.”

“I see,” he nodded and was about to say more when another pilot stumbled out of the cockpit and Athrun took her arm, helping her settle back on the ground.

“You okay, Cagalli?”

“Yeah,” she replied with a nod then eyed Yzak, “who’s he?”

“Oh, this is Yzak. He’s…a friend of mine and Dearka’s,” Athrun explained and earned a grunt from Dearka.

Cagalli’s eyes landed on the temporary addition to the hangar and then back to Yzak, “so you’re the pilot of the DUEL?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you for saving me back there,” Cagalli said, a crooked grin on her face, “that other mobile suit would’ve gotten me if you didn’t block his beam.”

“I’m surprised, Yzak,” Athrun said with a small smile at the new information.

Mistaking it for a mock, Yzak was quick to glare at his rival, “shut up, Zala!”

“Huh?” Confused, Athrun almost backed away at the sudden outburst but quickly explained himself, “no, I’m really thankful that you saved Cagalli!”

The soft look that appeared on his rival’s face was enough explanation and Yzak winced, “urgh, not you too, Zala.”

The ZAFT Commander had many more things to say to his rival, one being such a poor excuse of a sap, but they were interrupted by the chief engineer’s loud complaint followed by the sight of a CGUE docking in the Archangel.

“A CGUE?” Dearka was surprised just as everyone else, “what’s a CGUE doing here?”

“Wait…that’s—”

The CGUE’s cockpit opened as soon as it found a spot to land on and a ZAFT pilot came out heading straight towards them as he took off his helmet to reveal long copper brown hair and amethyst eyes with burning anger.

“—Shiho! What are—”

“You idiot!” Shiho exclaimed, throwing her helmet at Yzak and hitting him on the face, “do you know how easy it is to press a damn button to inform your team you didn’t die?! You just press it, _Commander_ , and go, _hey, I’m alive!_ ”

Yzak glared at her and threw her helmet away before his anger took over him and he’d accidentally hit her with it, “you people should know better that I wouldn’t die!”

“You…you idiot!” She repeated just as scathingly as she landed on the ground and marched towards her Commander to give him a slap on the cheek, “I was damn worried for you and for nothing!”

“There was nothing to worry about if you knew better!” Yzak shot back, pissed at being slapped—neither of his parents had even done that!

“Are you calling me an idiot?” Shiho gritted her teeth but restrained herself from slapping him again.

“How dare you say that?! I have every right to worry about you! Even if you’re such a cocky, self-centered bastard, I’d still worry!”

By then, they had already attracted the attention of the other people, who had already stopped at what they were doing to stare and listen in to the scene they were causing—it had been a long time since they’d gotten to see a soap opera, after all.

“I’d kill anything in this universe if it would bring you back—and _this_ is how you treat me? Yzak Joule, you’re a bastard! I only joined this god awful army to make sure you’re safe and that you don’t die, you bastard!”

Dearka blinked, Athrun stared and Yzak was rendered speechless. All three ace soldiers were taken aback by Shiho’s unsubtle confession and outburst, so unused to having the sole female ace of their batch act so out of character.

“I’m your fiancée, dammit! Doesn’t the mean anything to you?!”

Tears filled her eyes as she remembered that feeling of losing him and she inhaled, nearly choking as emotion took over her. Then shocking her, and surely Dearka and Athrun, Yzak took her by the arm and pulled her into his arms, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

“Woman, you _are_ an idiot,” he told her through gritted teeth, “I won’t leave you—when the hell is that ever going into your thick skull?”

“You’re a bastard, Joule,” Shiho cried, burying her face on his chest. _But thank god, you’re alive._

* * *

“Well,” Dearka said after Yzak and Shiho had left the Archangel, “that was new.”

“That’s another good development from our defection,” Athrun commented, staring at the disappearing ZAFT mobile suits in the horizon.

“Do you think it’s enough to get Ezalia to let me off the hook?”

"You have better luck finding employment with ORB, at this point."

Dearka sighed, "thought so."


End file.
